My 15 gallon tank is overfiltered by nearly ten gallons, has been cycled for over 2 years and only has 14 livebearers in. 2 female guppies, 2 female mollies and 10 babies cannot produce enough waste to make my nitrite stay at 0.3 constantly! My ammonia is 0ppm, nitrate 20ppm and then my nitrite tends to constantly be higher than 0! How is this possible? I've checked for any dead babies, I don't overfeed every thing is eaten within 5 minutes of entering the tank so please explain what is going on. Someone please give me some insight as to what is going on.
I Don't Understand...
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AnimalHouse36
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Are you using strip or liquid tests?
I've heard that strip tests tend to be inaccurate.
I've heard that strip tests tend to be inaccurate.
fishyfeet
Fish Herder
is your test out of date, have you tested your tapwater
StandbySetting
Fish Aficionado
I wouldn't touch API liquid test kits with a barge pole, personally.
Double check with another test kit just to rule out the test kit giving false readings, by constantly do you mean for months or just for a few days? Over feeding at all?
Double check with another test kit just to rule out the test kit giving false readings, by constantly do you mean for months or just for a few days? Over feeding at all?
fishyfeet
Fish Herder
it looks like a mini cycle, has something disrupted the fitler media, power cut, meds, you seem to be on the ball, have you tried a different test kit, its either the test kit is wrong, your tap water is bad, or the filter is recycleing for some reason, di
how often you do water changes and how much, are you overdoing them, di
how often you do water changes and how much, are you overdoing them, di
As I've said, everything gets eaten within 5 minutes of entering the tank so not overfeeding. It's been like this for about 3-4 weeks, since around about the time that my Marble molly gave birth. They've had two water changes since then though so that can't be it... Would a Tetra Liquid Test Kit be OK to double check? If so, I can get one tomorrow.
AnimalHouse36
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Try taking the water to your LFS. They'll usually test for free. Make sure they tell you the exact numbers.
If it's the same as your test, you can rule that out!
If it's the same as your test, you can rule that out!
StandbySetting
Fish Aficionado
Get a Salifert kit if you can, they're similar in price to the API kits but they're more accurate and precise, if you have access to someone else's test kit then just double check, the fact that you have fry in the tank and you've had no deaths yet makes me think it's the test kit giving false readings, ensure you clean the sample tubes properly as well, ideally with distilled water and ensuring you only use each tube for the same test kit to avoid contaminating results.
My LFS uses a Tetra Test Kit which is partly why I was asking about it. I'll take some down with me tomorrow and ask if he'll test it for me. I think they charge 50p usually but whenever I have had to have it tested he's always tested for free for me... But I know the reason for that.
I get to see him test the water and compare the results myself.
How often are you feeding? Whether they eat it or not...
Do you have carbon in the filter? Does it need changing? Carbon starts leaching nasties back into the tank eventually...
Gravel cleaned?
What sort of filter? Is it just sponge or does it have any biomedia?
Do you have carbon in the filter? Does it need changing? Carbon starts leaching nasties back into the tank eventually...
Gravel cleaned?
What sort of filter? Is it just sponge or does it have any biomedia?
How often are you feeding? Whether they eat it or not...
Do you have carbon in the filter? Does it need changing? Carbon starts leaching nasties back into the tank eventually...
Gravel cleaned?
What sort of filter? Is it just sponge or does it have any biomedia?
Do you have carbon in the filter? Does it need changing? Carbon starts leaching nasties back into the tank eventually...
Gravel cleaned?
What sort of filter? Is it just sponge or does it have any biomedia?
Could the birth of babies cause a nitrite spike? Although you would have thought the filter had caught up by now....
BigbruiserAl
I ain't gettin on no plane fool
You need a huge PH swing to make the carbon leach back into the water, in fact so large the swing would need to be that fish would be dead way before. This is the reason is it so rare in the hobby to hear this actully happen
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